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D.C. Council Latest to Join Movement Calling for Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United

Statement of Aquene Freechild, Senior Organizer, Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign

Note: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commissionis the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts to influence elections.

Today, the District of Columbia joined 11 states in calling for a constitutional amendment to get Big Money out of politics by overturning the Citizens United ruling and related cases. Public Citizen applauds the resolution’s sponsor, Councilmember David Grosso, and all members of the Council for unanimously supporting this critical measure for our democracy.

The call to overturn Citizens United is broadly popular among the public in poll after poll, as people around the country realize it affects every major issue of the day. D.C. residents know what it means to not have a full voice in government. The Council’s resolution recognizes that if we are serious about saving our democracy, we must amend the Constitution to restore the right to limit spending in elections.

The American people have amended the Constitution 27 times. Most of these efforts have been hard, but actions like the passage of the D.C. resolution show that our movement is just as strong and just as committed to democracy as those that came before us.

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